Eid
Abroad
I just wanted to commend Neeman Sobhan on writing such a
nice article on Eid abroad. I've been studying abroad for
quite sometime now and I must say I share her emotions,
like many others abroad, in missing Bangladesh during the
Eid Celebrations. Because Eid was on a weekend this year
and Veteran's Day fell on the same day many of my family
members decided to celebrate Eid together in NewYork at
my Uncle's - and after years it was honestly like the old
days! Cooking the night before, fixing your clothes, Eid
namaz in the morning, paying respect to elders followed
by an "ediee," visiting friends and family together,
the chaos in trying to decide who sits in which car (because
everyone wants to sit together!), and finally cozying up
in front of the TV, after a hearty dinner, to watch Eid
programmes straight from Bangladesh (thanks to Channel I/NTV!)
was simply wonderful. But what was better yet was watching
my cousins, who were raised abroad, enjoy and respect the
traditions just as much. No one can replace what we have/had
in Bangladesh, but holding on to our traditions and passing
it on to the younger ones can surely make it a close second!Nazia.
Massachussetts

Sundarbans
or Sundabans?
Every Friday, I wait eagerly for SWM. I read it and find
that I am unable to put it down until I reach the very end
of the magazine. However, I found that on the November 5th
issue, that there was a mistake that was quite inexcusable.
I was astonished to see the horror of a perpetual spelling
mistake. The word "sundabans" in the travel piece
was repeatedly spelled wrong. Unfortunately, because of
this spelling error, the idea of the Sundarbans and what
the writer was trying to say was totally ruined -- and all
because of a silly printing mistake. I hope that this does
not happen again. Also I would like to add that I really
miss the column "Nothing if Not Serious" as it
has not been printed for a long time. Bring Shawkat Hossain
back on the team again please!.Md.Shamiul Haque
University of Dhaka

A
Response to the "Request"
With reference to the letter titled 'A Request' by Mr. Md.
Abdul Basit (printed on the November 5 issue), I appreciate
the fact that he has to endure a lot of trouble as SWM is
published on Friday. He also demanded SWM to be published
on any day other than Friday. I find this quite absurd as
SWM stands for Star WEEKEND Magazine and Friday is the only
weekend we have. So how can SWM be published on a weekday?
Moreover, on weekdays, most people are so busy that they
do not have adequate time to read SWM properly. Therefore,
I think things should go the way they are going now. Pratik Bhowmik
On Email

On
Fiction
This is to applaud the greatly written story from Ahmede
Hussain in the last edition. His style has greatly impressed
me and I believe that he has managed well to give a long
lasting impression on who ever reads his stories. I think
Mr. Ahmede Hussain deserves praise for the story LOVE ON
A BLUE AFTERNOON. Kowsheek Mahmoud

A
New Section for a New Friday
Friday is a great day for me because a new issue of SWM
comes to me in the mornings. And this is all thanks to to
everyone involved in the production of SWM. There is always
something interesting in the 'Write to Mita' section. I
especially love this section, so I would like to extend
a special thanks to the editor of this section. I also really
enjoy the cover stories when they are on topics that I am
interested in. However, I feel the graphics section should
be more creative. I also have a request for a new section
for music lovers. As both an SWM and music lover I feel
the necessity of a Music section. I hope that my most favourite
magazine will take my request into consideration.Md. Musfiqur Rahman(Sourouv)
Nikunja-2 Dhaka

On
" Lost in the Dream"
I was extremely moved going through the article "Lost
in the Dream" by Srabonti Narmeen Ali on the October
29 issue of SWM. Having been disappointed with the naked
face of reality she took refuge in dreams as a dreamer and
idealist and decided to stay away from the wasteland of
reality where people are infected with hypocrisy, class
discrimination, unfair contests for survival and so on.
She, to her utter shock came to realise that the present
world of harsh reality does not entertain dreamers and qualities
such as simplicity, loyalty, kind-heartedness, compassion
and goodness. She finds that all of these characteristics
are out of place in today's world. And today's world is
as good as a jungle for the survival of the fittest where
might triumphs over right. In her depiction of realisation,
she maintains a unique and shockingly honest tone that is
expressed throughout her writing. Her use of words and her
tone is extremely befitting to the theme of the story. There
is an invisible chain of sadness that binds the whole story
together from the very beginning to the end, which I find
is unique in style. Amidst all these realisations, she decides
to keep on dreaming. I, however, assure her by asserting
that the dreamers never die! Congrats. Srabonti--keep it
up!!Rafiqul Islam Rime
Agrabad, Chittagong

ANNOUNCEMENT
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